1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an MPR image creating apparatus and a coaxial tomogram creating method therein, and more specifically relates to an MPR image creating apparatus in which when a desired range of a sagital image, for example, is specified, an axial image corresponding to the sagital image can be obtained easily, and to a coaxial tomogram creating method therein.
2. Prior Art
MPR (multi-planar reconstruction, cross section inversion) is a function for creating a coronal image, sagital image, axial image and oblique image, etc., based on an original image data obtained by a CT apparatus, for example.
FIG. 1 is a drawing which explains a method of obtaining a desired cross sectional image in a conventional MPR image creating apparatus.
In FIG. 1, 101 is a display which is capable of specifying and inputting by a mouse or the like, and the display 101 is provided with a menu screen display section 102 for displaying a menu screen for inputting various screen operating information (mentioned later), and an MPR image display section 103 for displaying an MPR image such as a sagital image.
The MPR image display section 103 is divided into four, i.e., sections A through D. A coronal image of a human head, for example, is displayed on the section A on the upper left part, a sagital image on the section B on the upper right part, an axial image on the section C on the lower left part, and an oblique image on the section D on the lower right part.
In the case where a doctor wants to save the axial image in a desired range of the displayed sagital image, an operation shown in FIG. 2, for example, was performed on the menu screen 102.
Namely, when MPR display is specified (S101), the coronal image, sagital image, axial image and oblique image are simultaneously displayed on the MPR image display section 103 (see FIG. 1) (S102). When a cross section on the axial image (section C) which is desired to be saved is specified on the sagital image on the section B by a cursor (represented by an arrow R.sub.1) (S103), only one specified axial image is saved (S104).
In the case where ten axial images are desired to be saved until the range on the section B represented by an arrow R.sub.2, it was necessary to repeat the steps S101 through S104 ten times (S105).
In addition, in the case where the axial image is created and displayed other than the above case of saving the axial image, it was necessary to specify creation and display of the axial images one by one.
However, it was troublesome that in order to obtain the desired axial images in the above-mentioned manner, an operator such as a doctor repeats operational input such as saving, creating and displaying the axial images one by one.